Rolling-mill.



J. H. BLAKESLEY.

ROLLING MILL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 1911.

hmmfififim Patented July 2, 1912.

Q I q @a W/7 W 4 5 1770 I? an enrich JoHN HOLMES BLAKESLEY, or LoNnou,ENGLAND.

ROLLING-MILL.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented ma 2, 1912.

Application filed July 20, 1911 Serial No. 639,554.

To all whom'c't may concern:

' Be it known that 1, JOHN HOLMES BLAKES- LEY, subject of the King ofEngland, residing at London, in England, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Rolling-Mills, of which the following isaspecification.

This invention relates to mills for rolling metals, fiber or othermaterials, and has for its object to render the rolls more resilient,less liable to become broken and to overcome the results of such anoccurrence.

Hitherto the rolls of certain types of such mills have been providedwith rams usually actuated by water or other liquid under pressure so asto allow the rolls to yield if any foreign body of excessive magnitudeor hardness occurs in the material being rolled. Such arrangements havebeen deficient in resilience and moreover necessitate the employment ofa separate pump and accu1nulator for each standard of rolls. 1

According to this invention air supplied under pressure. acts directly,on ashallow layer of liquid which transmits the pressure to the rollsthrough a ram, but is of such small total mass as not seriously todiminish the resilience of theair by liquid friction.

This layer of liquid feeds the backings of the ram and serves otherobjects hereafter described. A reservoir or accumulator is provided forthe compressed air of a sulficient size to prevent dangerous increase ofpressure when the rolls are lifted,'and an air compressor is employed tomaintain the necessary pressure. In this manner a more even pressure ismaintained on the rams and rolls, and greater resilience is obtainedthan has hitherto been possible, so; that the rolls are readily andquickly returned to their normal position after being forced apart.

Considerable saving is effected in the piping between the rams and theaccumulator, as, owing to the small resistance to the flow of gas,piping of smaller diameter can be employed than in the case of hydraulicrams, this piping being not only cheaper but stronger. 1 Further, forthe same reason, the pipes may be of greater length so that the samecompressor serves a large number of rolls. i

In the acompanying drawing, one 1 form of apparatus constructed inaccordance with this invention is diagrammatically illus trated, inwhich A is the center of theupper roll in a mill and B a ram pressingdownward on the bearing C of the roll A. The ram B is mounted in acylindrical cavity forming a rammzhalnbr D,v and a narrow neck orconduit establishes communication between the ram chamber and anintermediate chamber or reservoir E disposed above it. From the upperend of the reservoir E piping leads to the reservoir or accumulator Ffor the compressed air, and further to the compressor, which is notshown, as the type thereof may vary and forms no part of the presentinvention. The

chamber E constitutes a liquid reservoir and is of suflicient size tocontain all the liquid behind the ram so that none of this can be forcedinto the small tubing connecting the liquid and air reservoirs when theram rises.

A' float G is suspended by a spring within the reservoir E from theupper end thereof andthe bottom of the float fits into a seating formedat the upper end of the conduit connecting the liquid reservoir and ramchamber D so that when the float descends far enough it will form avalveand shut olf communication'between the liquid reservoir and ram chamber.The spring is strong enough tohold up the float G against the flow ofliquid when the ram is normally falling after a rise, but should the ramchamber D be reduced to atmospheric pressure by the breakage of a roll,bearing or standard, or some other accident, the flow of the liquid fromthe reservoir E, and the fall of its surface level, will cause the floatto sink and close the valve, thus preventing the escape of thecompressed air, and the danger resulting therefrom. The reservoir E isprovided with a pipe which com1nunicates with the upper and lower endsthereof having in its course two cocks H, H, which serve as gage cooksfor observing and controlling ,the level-of the liquid in the reservoirE, the arrangement being similar to that employed with steam generators.One or more valves, as I, may also be, provided near the air compressorto prevent the escape of air in the case of accident to this, so thatthe mills will continue to work for some time Without further additionof air.

It will be understood that by suitably curving the conduit connectingthe liquid reservoir and the ram chamber, pressure may be appliedvertically or obliquely, in an upward or downward direction, orhorizontally, so that, without departing from this invention, thearrangement is equally applicable to a bottom or a side roll in anyposition, though it is here only represented as applied toahorizontal ortop roll. Althou h compressed air has been described as ,t e fluid which.maintains the necessary pressure, it will be understood that any inertgas which does not condense at ordinary to shut off the supply ofcompressed air to the ram chamber when the pressure therein falls as andfor the purpose set forth.

2. In a rolling mill the combination with a ram actuated by air or gassupplied under pressure of a liquid reservoir mounted between andcommunicating with thesou-rce of pressure and the ram chamber and afloat valve in the reservoir adapted to shut 011' the supply ofcompressed airwhen the liquid escapes from the ram voir as set forth. p

In testimony whereof I have signed my chamber and .resername to thisspecification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN HOLMES. BEAKESLEY.

Witnesses MA RICE STRODE, FRANK' GonwrN.

